Division III is often negatively seen as not putting as much focus on athletics, as some higher divisions. However, Division III athletes have to be great students and athletes to have the privilege of earning and maintaining a spot on a team.
Athletes at the Division III level are a part of the university community just as much as the other students on campus. We attend the same classes, eat in the same dining hall and share the same living spaces. There aren’t any special majors or easy classes that are put in place just for athletes. If we want to remain eligible to play, we have to maintain a certain GPA. In addition, Division III athletes do not get athletic scholarships like Division I and II do. Students are required to have a good academic standing going into the school to receive scholarships.
We work just as hard as teams in any other division. We have 6 a.m. lifts, conditioning and practices all year round. As teammates, we hold each other accountable for our summer and winter workout packets. Our coaches and teammates have high expectations of each and everyone of us. Division III is not a joke; we take our sport and our school seriously, and we put in countless hours of hard work. In general, our work ethic at the Division III level is just as high as any of the athletes at the Division I or II level.
One of the benefits that I love about Division III is that there is an emphasis on the importance of being part of the school’s community. They want you to be able to engage in clubs, intramural sports and other social events that are an important part of the college experience. If students aren’t involved in extra curricular activities, they are working, sometimes even two jobs. At the Division III level, it is important for student-athletes to be able to balance school, sports and work. While school comes first, students are expected to learn how to manage their time to be successful in every aspect of life.
I hope no one thinks that I am trying to say Division I and II athletes don’t work hard because they do. Being a student-athlete at any level is extremely difficult. However, Division III doesn’t get enough credit for the hard work and dedication that us athletes put in. We are held to very high standards on the field, in the classroom and in social aspects. More often than not, Division III is pushed aside when it could be a better fit for some student-athletes than Division I or II.
